Stoke City boss Mark Hughes was delighted with two-goal Joe Allen after victory over Sunderland.

He broke the deadlock with an eighth-minute header before lashing in a second on the stroke of half-time as the Potters cruised to a 2-0 victory, their first in the Premier League this season, over the winless Black Cats.

Allen took his tally to five in four games for club and country and has already equalled his best-ever Premier League haul for a season when he managed four with Swansea in 2011-12.

"We pushed him further forward just because sometimes when you get the opportunity to work with players day-in, day-out you see things that you didn't realise that they may have the capability of," Hughes said.

"His anticipation of where the ball is going to land was evident for everyone to see. In midfield or out wide or wherever the ball was dropping he anticipates really well. So if you can get him anticipating things in the box he's going to get on the end of things and that's what's happening at the moment.

"We're delighted with what he's producing. Clearly he's a little bit fragile at the moment because his workload since the summer is up greatly. We are going to have to manage him through this period while his body gets in tune but he's doing exceptionally well. We're delighted he's with us."